Planning your schedule for the years ahead may sound too proactive, but trust me, in the future you will be very relieved. Whether you’re a first-year still figuring everything out, or a sophomore feeling the pressure of declaring a major, a long-term plan makes life so much smoother. Here is your guide to mapping out your college schedule:
- Get Your Gen Eds Done
Get as many gen ends out of the way freshman year as humanly possible. You’ll be grateful when senior year rolls around and you’re not stuck in Chemistry 125. Plus, gen eds also allow you to explore different fields, and may even lead you to discovering your future major just because you took that random class.
- English & FQR: Don’t Wait Too Long
There are two big requirements due by sophomore year:
- English requirement
- Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning
These are foundational courses, and they will serve as a prerequisite to other potential courses. You definitely do not want them hanging over your head when you go to take a class for your major and realize you need to meet one of these requirements.
- If You Know Your Major, Declare Early
If you already know what you want to major in, or have a strong hunch, declare early. It can help you get a clearer sense of your academic path, major-specific advising, and puts you on the email list for the majors to see potential opportunities within the field you’re studying. Even if you’re not 100% sure, talking to any department staff can help save you from taking any classes you don’t need, or missing any prerequisites.
- Create a Semester-By-Semester Graduation Map
Once you declare, or even if you’re leaning towards a field, sit down and map out how many classes you need to graduate with that major. A roadmap will help you:
- Keep track of prerequisites
- Balance heavy and light semesters
- Know how many credits you need
- Leave space for study abroad, internships, or any fun classes
- Use the College Scheduler Tool
Skidmore uses the College Scheduler tool through Okta, which helps tremendously. You can:
- Visualize which classes fit in what blocks
- See what your semester would look like with different course combinations
- Find open sections
- See different weekly schedules, open spots, and the waitlist seats